Sarah Buel’s transition from welfare mother to Harvard Law School graduate is an impressive tale of how the power of higher education can change and elevate a person’s life.
Following a tradition of outstanding and motivational keynote speakers such as Stacy Allison, the first American woman to climb Mt. Everest, football coach Herman Boone, and famed math teacher Jaime Escalante, Dr. Buel’s presence, along with her personal story, inspired the 275 graduates at this year’s Northern California commencement ceremony in Sacramento on April 19.
Overcoming adversity as a domestic violence survivor and a single mother, Dr. Buel worked full-time while pursuing her undergraduate education at night. It took her seven years to earn her bachelor’s degree, but she never quit. Eventually, she graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.
While she was a law student, Dr. Buel founded the Harvard Battered Women’s Advocacy Project and the Harvard Children and Family Rights Project. She is currently a Clinical Professor at the University Of Texas School Of Law, and has founded and co-directed a domestic violence clinic there as well. A former prosecutor, Dr. Buel has served as Special Counsel for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, providing domestic violence training, technical, and case assistance to prosecutors throughout Texas.
The one-time waitress who eventually convinced a law firm to hire her as a paralegal assistant said that she would drive by Harvard University, roll down her car window and shout, “You will let me in.”
As the law professor spoke of her perseverance, determination and professional rise, she was warmly received with a rousing ovation from the graduates. Following Dr. Buel’s address, National University Interim President Patricia E. Potter presented her with a Distinguished Leadership Award.
